Six Flowers
by LostInPrettyEyes
Summary: [COMPLETE] A short 3 chapter serial. Inoue Orihime viewed through the eyes of the Shun Shun Rikka, at three different times in her life. I'd really like reviews for this one. Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Bleach Universe. R&R.
1. Santen Kesshun

Takes place in the middle of the Soul Society Arc

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_'We were born to protect you.'_ They wouldn't let her perfect image shatter, it was unthinkable. The three of them would always answer when she called; never miss a beat of her heart. Inoue Orihime was leaning against the wall of a small enclosure, her mouth open while she slept. Hours ago she had began to talk to them, explaining exactly why she was there in Soul Society. "I might not have the potential of Kurosaki-kun, or the brain power of Ishida-kun. I'm not as strong as Sado-kun is either. But I didn't come here to be useless. I came to rescue Kuchiki-san and that's what I'm going to help everyone do, but I need to get stronger. I need to know who all of you are. What to call you." Lily couldn't help but laugh at the reply Shun'ou had given her. "Call us you."

But it was true. They represented her just as much as she was present in them, even if she hadn't realized it yet. During those long hours they had been behind Orihime every step of the way, helping her understand more about herself. Now, as the young woman lay sleeping, Hinagiku could see the determination he represented in her. Loud though he was, it was his way of showing her that it was a silent determination, loud enough for herself to hear. He was sitting on shoulder, watching her snore, and smiled as Baigon stirred on her other side. "I thought you'd be as drained as the rest of us." he said, sitting up to take a look at Orihime himself. Where Hinagiku was boisterous, Baigon was very reserved, the voice of reason. However serene she looked, Orihime was a girl that had her own problems to deal with.

She couldn't be carefree all the time; this is where Baigon came in, as living proof that she had a serious side. "You know Hinagiku, she's more than just determined. I know you can feel what she feels too. This is something she wants to do more than anything…but not for herself." Orihime stirred a little bit, muttering before she settled again. "Kuro…saki-kun…" Baigon was silent while he continued to sit there. "She's never come across a more serious topic than that if you ask me. He's like a part of her himself, that Kurosaki Ichigo. The place in her heart for him is certainly large enough."

"You two sure are loud!" Lily exclaimed, stretching and joining her teammates. She rose off of Orihime's lap to hover in the air. "But you're both right. It's a love we have to protect no matter what." Lily brushed a hand against Orihime's cheek. She knew the girl's oddities through and through, every crazy thought and action. "Come on Lily, of course you'd know it all, you're her sense of adventure." Lily shot Hinagiku a stern look and shot towards him, chasing him around her head for a little while as Baigon dozed off again.

The two barreled into him and they landed on the floor in a small dog pile. Hinagiku howled, "Get off! Baigon, move!" Lily dragged him skywards, later joined by the winded Hinagiku, and the three of them stared down on Orihime together. "We are the heavenly trio."

"We repel what will hurt you."

"We are fueled by your protective instinct."

The three of them resumed their places and drifted off into sleep. They had never seen themselves so strongly in Orihime before then. A flaming chrysanthemum burning with an invisible determination. A spontaneous lily who, in a heartbeat, would rush to the side of her friends. A solemn plum blossom that held a seriousness inside herself for only one person to see.


	2. Souten Kisshun

_'We were born to protect you.'_ But it was funny how often Orihime was around to protect others. The Soukyoku had just been released, Aizen had just betrayed the whole of Soul Society, and she had immediately begun her work. Victim after innocent victim, she went about healing everyone she could reach. The strain was difficult, but every time they were called out, Shun'ou and Ayame helped her to bear the pain of it all. "She hates to see innocent people get hurt; she's not a fighter at all just yet." Shun'ou took to making conversation with Ayame whenever Orihime was too focused to listen in. She finally dropped to her knees and threw her hands over Ichigo's body, calling the duo out for the umpteenth time.

Nearby, some members of the fourth division were chattering about Orihime's skill. "Nobody asked her to help us out, but she's so kind to lessen our workload, and so quiet to be doing it all alone person after person. She's so much like Unohana-taichou." Shun'ou's mouth curled into a small smile. "Of course she is you fools! This girl is more of a leader than anyone could hope to be in a lifetime, you don't need to tell her what to do." Ayame looked up. She was always so silent that it surprised her partner when she spoke up against had been said. "But Shun'ou, she has a lonely heart, you can't deny that. Even if she's surrounded by people, she's happiest on the outside. Inside we can feel what she feels. You and I can feel the pain she shares with those who should never have been hurt to begin with."

"Ayame, are you sure you're Orihime's gentleness? Truer words were never spoken in her defense." The two of them could feel Orihime's arm falter, it was taking longer than usual to heal Ichigo's wounds. "See that Ayame?" Shun'ou said, looking up to stare into Orihime's misty eyes, "That's the mark of a leader. She cares about her allies and she keeps them all at ease." At this, Ayame took a look at the young woman, tearing up herself. "Shun'ou, it hurts so much for her to heal him more than the rest. She has more than just respect for him." The understanding that passed between the duo then was so complete that she didn't finish the sentence.

As much as her silent resolve remained strong she couldn't help but pause to breathe. "There's no way she can properly heal his injuries." Shun'ou said. But he knew that Orihime knew it too and also knew that she wouldn't stop trying anyway. Even with all the Fourth Division members present, she would stick this one out alone. She would spend hours here if she had to. Another wave of understanding swept between Shun'ou and Ayame, they looked up to Orihime together and smiled. Before them was a brilliant cherry blossom that led happiness into the hearts of others, an iris with a gentleness that shone from her own.


	3. Koten Zanshun

_'We were born to protect you.'_ Unbeknownst to her, Tsubaki lingered overheard, watching Orihime in her final moments as a free woman before she became a slave to Aizen and his Espada. He thought back to their first meeting, how he had only addressed her as 'woman' and how he had never lived up to his potential as her protector. He still envied those people that kept her safe. "I should be able to do it myself." he muttered, kicking at the air in front of him. Still, he knew why he couldn't live up to that potential. "She just isn't a fighter. She doesn't have the conviction to use me properly, the idiot…" But he lingered on that last word.

It wasn't as though she would be in a very nice place within the next few hours. Orihime had been granted a twelve hour reprieve, she was allowed to visit and say goodbye to one person. "It's no surprise that she came to see him." Tsubaki looked down at her. She was talking lightly to herself mostly, as Ichigo was asleep and the Arrancar's relic kept her hidden from view, but there was something in her voice that he had never heard before. She went on talking about life, about love. She had nearly kissed him, but began to tear and stopped.

She whispered a thank you to him and sat in silence, just watching him sleep for a few moments. "It might be the last time you ever see him again and all you can say is thank-you?" He lingered hovering near her trembling figure, all the while feeling something from Orihime that hadn't been there since the hollow attack on Tatsuki. He had never regarded the young woman with more respect than in this single passing second. She would never forgive the man that was taking all of this away from her. She would never forgive the man that had lied to his allies and shattered so many peaceful lives.

Tsubaki had never felt stronger than in that moment either. "I'm her strength and her will to fight. Orihime, now is when you have every right to thrust me into the heat of battle to protect what you care about…no…to protect what you love." he said, looking down at Ichigo's unmoving form. She shook, tears falling from her eyes freely, but she didn't move a muscle save for the tremble that ran through her. All the times he had been upset with her faded instantly. All that mattered was how she felt now, sitting alone with nowhere else to turn to protect her friends and her heart.

She rose from her seat and walked out in to the cold night, adding to her trembling as she walked in silence down the moonlight street. Anger flooded through her, but she would never show it. "But it exists, or else I wouldn't be here. She's learning to let it show." Balling her hands into fists, she broke into a run, Tsubaki hanging back, watching her as she left everything behind. He knew that she had never been stronger than on this night. "Orihime, you are the camellia whose petals burn with the strength of a brilliant heart. Let that strength bloom for everyone to see."

He darted after her as the other members of the Shun Shun Rikka sparked to life, darted around her in every direction as she ran to meet her destiny. She stood at the end of the street, her hair cascading in the wind as she looked up at the pale moon, opening her mouth to speak. "Maybe I was born to protect something too…"


End file.
